Gen Prayuth to receive royal command

BANGKOK, May 26 -- Thailand's Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha is scheduled to receive a royal command appointing him leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) today, according to Lt-Gen Panuwat Nakwong, assistant chief of staff for civil affairs.

Gen Panuwat said the ceremony would be held at Army Headquarters on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue at 10.49am.

After the ceremony, Gen Prayuth will speak on national television outlining the issues including the proclamation of the appointment of a new government, an interim constitution and the setting up of a national legislative council and political reform body, he said.

Gen Prayuth on Thursday declared a coup, saying it was aimed at stopping further loss of life and preventing the conflict in the country from further escalating.

In a related development, the Bank for Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) today will begin paying farmers waiting for money under the rice pledging scheme.

The BAAC has set aside Bt40 billion for the initial payment while another Bt50 billion would be acquired through loans from other financial institutions as soon as possible.

The payment came after the NCPO announcement that the payments are its priority to ease the hardship of farmers.